Wednesday, August 20, 2008

That's what I was called on another blog in the Wide World of Webs we all blog in. I am not linking to that blog or post because I can't remember how I stumbled upon it and I am not starting what youngins call a "flame" war. I just want your input.

The topic was about guys giving up their seats in a bus for gals. Whereas the blog authoress felt that this should be an inherent right of women, I disagreed. In my own words, "unless I look feeble, really old, obviously pregnant or in my dying throes, I can manage to stand along with other fully abled men and women." I hold strongly to my position. Why should I be afforded special courtesies just because I was born with 2 X chromosomes? I hold doors open for men. I think if somebody's right behind somebody else, regardless of each one's gender, holding the door open is a common courtesy. I don't expect a man to hold a door open and stand there in an obsequent manner waiting for me to pass through, touching a hand to his hat brim ... wait, that's a doorman.

I expect to be called ma'am by people who don't know me the same way I call people ma'am and sir. I expect to be helped if I am struggling with too many bags of groceries and trying to get a door open, the same way I would help another human being. I expect to be offered a seat if I hobble on to a bus or train on crutches just like I would give up my seat for somebody who can obviously not stand through the ride. I expect not to have a door closed in my face if I am right behind somebody walking through it just like I don't close it on the person right behind me. Regardless of their gender.

I don't think men who afford special courtesies to women all believe we of the fairer sex are also weaker or should stay at home quilting and baking pies (mmmm pies) while they go slay dragons everyday. But, I also believe that if we ASK to be treated like the weaker sex, we are truly dragging the women's movement back a few decades. We are agreeing with those who say we cannot fight alongside the men in our country's army. With those who say that our emotions get the best of us and that's why we cannot lead a nation.

If that makes me a flaming ass liberal, so be it. I'll wear that button proudly and siplay the sticker on my car.

"Users need to handle two basic problems:What should I do? Which is defined by the user (or for the user by someone else) and how do I do it? Which is defined by the application creator.Better usability results in less allocation of mental resources to answer this question.So, basically, usability is about reducing the users’ mental burden by providing good answers to the ‘how’ problem, thus allowing them to concentrate on the ‘what’ problem."